


Honour Thy Mother

by 4thofFive



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:45:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4thofFive/pseuds/4thofFive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve's mother tells Danny what she thinks of his relationship with her son.</p><p> </p><p>Another oldie for Missmeagan666 who requested it.</p><p>For some reason the notes section isn't working for me but I thought I'd tell you this was written during the hiatus between seasons 2 and 3 so we knew nothing about Doris McGarrett or how Kono was rescued by Adam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honour Thy Mother

Danny stood on the darkened lanai enjoying the cool evening breeze rolling off the ocean. Although it had been a happy day, it had also been a long and noisy one and he was grateful for a few quiet minutes to himself. The detective realized he’d been away from his large, noisy New Jersey family too long if an afternoon with his Hawaiian ohana was enough to send him scurrying for a moment’s solitude.

Peals of laughter seeped through the open windows of Steve’s house making Danny smile. The entire team was there – Chin who was finally able to laugh again knowing his wife would survive the injuries she’d received; Kono who had been saved from the ocean at the last minute by the Coast Guard, and happy, light-hearted Steve who had found his mother again after 20 years believing she was dead.

Danny rolled his head to stretch out the residual tension in his neck and sighed in relief. He hadn’t told Steve, but he had been worried about meeting the SEAL’s mother. What would she think about their relationship? Would she disapprove of her son dating another man? From the first moment Steve had phoned Danny from Japan sobbing that his mother was alive, the detective had been elated that Steve had a family again and worried that if Mrs. McGarrett didn't like Danny, his relationship with Steve might not survive.

Danny leaned against one of the pillars of the lanai and stared out into the night at the ink black ocean. So far everything seemed to be going well. Although Doris had been surprised that her son was in love with another man, she hadn’t said anything disparaging. The beautiful and elegant Mrs. McGarrett had been warm and welcoming to Danny, Grace and the rest of the 5-0 Ohana when they’d shown up for the barbeque today, and while Danny had spotted the older woman looking at him appraisingly a few times, he didn't sense any hostility in her gaze.

The door behind him squeaked slightly and Danny turned to see Mrs. McGarrett framed in the light of the doorway.

“Danny? Is everything all right?”

The detective smiled at the taller woman and nodded.

“Yes ma’am, fine. I just needed a bit of air.”

Doris carefully shut the door behind her and stepped out onto the lanai to stand beside Danny to gaze out at the ocean.

“I’ve missed this so much,” she whispered softly as Danny watched her eyes glitter with unshed tears.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You've been missed so much, but you’re home now and you and Steve and Mary have a chance to rebuild your lives.”

Doris gave Danny a warm smile then turned her attention back to the ocean. She stood silently for a moment obviously mulling something over in her mind and Danny waited with bated breath for whatever was coming next.

“Danny…I’ve actually been hoping for an opportunity to speak with you alone.”

The blonde detective felt his stomach tighten but he nodded firmly and dropped his hand away from the older woman’s shoulder.

“Yes, of course. I know my relationship with Steve must have been a surprise to you.”

Doris smiled again and turned so that she was facing the detective, her arms crossed loosely in front of her.

“Steve’s told me a lot about your relationship. He obviously loves and respects you and he adores Grace. She’s a lovely young woman.”

Danny grinned proudly.

“Thank you.”

Doris continued as if he hadn't spoken.

“As parents we want what’s best for our children and it’s as a parent that I want to talk to you.”

“OK,” replied Danny warily.

Steve’s mother dropped her eyes to the floor of the lanai for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. Finally she looked up at Danny, her gaze firm.

“Danny…I want you to stop dating my son.”

The blonde detective froze wondering if he had misheard what she’d said. He felt his breath catch in his throat.

“You…what?”

“I would like you to stop seeing my son romantically. Of course I want you to stay partners with him at work, but I would like you to stop dating him.”

Danny opened and closed his mouth mutely. He felt his face flush with anger and embarrassment.

“You want me to break up with your son? You want us to end our relationship?”

Mrs. McGarrett nodded firmly. She turned and walked to the end of the lanai and sank gracefully into one of the chairs in the corner folding her hands on her lap. She looked over at Danny expectantly and he reluctantly walked over to stand near her.

“Danny,” the older woman began softly, as if speaking to a slow-witted child. “I know this will be difficult for you. It’s obvious how much you love my son, but your relationship isn’t right for him.”

“Because we’re both men,” the detective spat angrily gripping the railing of the lanai behind him for support.

The older woman nodded slightly.

“It’s partly that, but really it’s mainly because you aren’t right for each other.”

Danny snorted in derision.

“You’ve been out of your son’s life for 20 years. You’ve been back in touch with him for one week and suddenly you’re an expert in what’s right for him?”

Doris McGarrett favoured Danny with a cold smile.

“I may not have had contact with my son but I’ve kept up on his life and his accomplishments, and I’m still his mother. I believe I still know what’s best for him.”

The blonde man huffed in disgust.

“And what’s best for him is not to be fag is that it?”

Mrs. McGarrett leaned back in her chair and examined Danny dispassionately. She gripped the chair’s arm rests and tapped one finger rhythmically.

“Danny, since Steve was a small boy his father and I could see that he was an exceptional person. He’s highly intelligent, highly driven and is, in my opinion – and that of others – capable of great things.”

Danny folded his arms tightly across his chest and nodded firmly.

“I agree with you.”

The older woman sat forward again, her gaze now cold steel.

“I believe that Steve could be an Admiral someday. Perhaps he could rise up to be head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – or maybe to elected office, maybe Governor. Nothing is beyond his abilities.”

Danny gripped his biceps tightly and nodded once more.

“Again, no argument from me, but what does that have to do with…”

“In order to accomplish these things,” Mrs. McGarrett interrupted firmly, “he will need a proper help mate by his side and I’m sorry dear, but you are not it.”

Danny opened his mouth to argue but the woman waved one perfectly manicured hand to stop his words.

“It’s not just that you’re a man – that would be enough of a challenge to overcome, no matter how much things are changing – but it’s also that…frankly…you’re not the right type of person for my son.”

Danny felt his throat tighten as he listened to the older woman’s cold, biting words.

“Not the right type of person,” he responded hoarsely. “What do you mean?”

Mrs. McGarrett’s face softened as if she was trying to find a kind way of ripping Danny apart.

“It’s just that you’re…well, you’re loud and opinionated and you argue with my son too much. Steve needs a woman by his side; someone who will respect him and love him and support his decisions without constant bickering.”

Danny couldn't help the ironic laugh that burst from his throat.

“You want him to marry a Stepford wife? I don’t know how to tell you this Doris but a) there aren’t too many weak-willed women like that around and b) Steve would be bored to tears with a woman – or a man – who didn't challenge him, who wasn't his intellectual and emotional equal.”

“And you are neither of those things Danny.”

Danny blinked rapidly feeling like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He felt his breath coming in short gasps.

“I- I love Steve, and he loves me,” Danny argued, feeling his stomach turn to water. He was gripping his biceps so tight he was certain he’d find bruises on his arms in the morning.

“No matter what he decides to do with his life I’ll support him, just as I know he’ll support me. I may not be a towering intellect but I’m intelligent and more than capable of being his partner in life and at work.”

Mrs. McGarrett stood and smoothed her dress with her hands before looking down at the blonde detective almost pityingly.

“I’ve said all I need to Danny. I think if you give this serious thought you’ll realize I’m right and that breaking up with Steve and leaving him free to find someone more appropriate would be the most loving thing you could do for him.”

Danny swallowed convulsively trying to quell the bile rising in his throat. He wiped a shaking hand across his mouth.

“And Steve, what does he think of this idea?”

Doris tipped her head slightly. 

“Of course I haven’t told him what I think just yet. He’s very kind and I have no doubt he’ll stay with you out of a misguided sense of loyalty. That’s why you need to be the one to break it off with him. It’s best for everyone really. You’ll see that someday.”

Danny rubbed his hands over his face and drew in a shaky breath. He dropped his hands back to his sides weakly and looked over at the older woman wondering how he could have so misjudged her. 

“What about love, Mrs. McGarrett? In all your talk you never mentioned Steve being loved. You've only talked about making him some sort of big shot. Do you even care that Steve and I love each other, and that we’re happy together?”

“Of course I want Steve to find a woman who loves and adores him and who he adores. But first he has to find the right kind of woman and he won’t do that if you’re in the way.”

Danny stood up straight and stuck out his chin defiantly as he felt rage burning through his guts. 

“I could go in there right now,” Danny croaked harshly pointing a shaking hand towards the interior of the house where happy laughter could be heard be heard. “I could tell him what you said. I know he’d choose me. I know he loves me, and Grace.”

Doris ran a hand over her perfectly styled hair and nodded in acknowledgement of the words. She gave him a small, indulgent smile.

“You could, Danny. You could easily tell Steve what I said, and maybe even make him hate me and push me out of his life. But what would that accomplish? Steve would lose one of the two family members he has left. And someday, when he’s come around to realizing you’re not right for him, you’ll have left him without anyone to lean on, and you’ll have left him regretting all of the things he could have accomplished but didn't because you were holding him back.”

Mrs. McGarrett stared into Danny’s eyes for a long moment.

“You’re a father, Danny. If Grace was with someone you didn't approve of, if you thought she was making a terrible mistake you’d do something about it. You’d try to step in before her life was ruined. I’m simply trying to do that for my son.”

*********

Danny woke the next morning from a terrible night’s sleep feeling fuzzy headed and heavy, like he was covered with a load of wet cement. He lay on his uncomfortable sofa bed staring dully at the ceiling. 

Last night, after his talk with Doris McGarrett, Danny had stumbled back into Steve’s house, grabbed Grace and made some weak excuse as to why they had to go home at that exact moment. A confused Steve had followed the two out to the car trying to convince Danny to stay, and it was all the detective could do to plaster a fake smile on his face, give Steve a quick kiss on the lips and roar away from the McGarrett home as fast as possible. 

This morning Danny shivered and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. It was 80 degrees in his apartment but he felt like he was made of ice. Everything Steve’s mother said kept playing in his mind like a broken record. Was she right? Was he holding Steve back? Since he and Steve had started dating a few months ago, Steve had begun to talk about settling down, maybe leaving the reserves and having Danny and Grace move in with him. But was that what Steve really wanted, or was he just saying what he thought Danny wanted to hear?

The blonde man rolled onto his side and pulled his legs up into the fetal position. The thought of losing Steve, the thought of breaking up with him…Danny squeezed his eyes shut and pulled in a shuddering breath. He loved Steve so much he truly didn't know if he could survive losing the best thing – after Grace – that had ever happened to him in life.

Danny jerked out of his reverie when someone began pounding on his apartment door. The blonde man froze hoping that whoever it was would think that he was out and would go the hell away.

“Danny!” Steve’s voice boomed from the other side of the metal door. “Daniel Williams open this door right now or I’m going to kick it in!”

Danny sighed in disgust and threw back the covers climbing to his feet. Steve was the last person he wanted to see at the moment so of course he would be the first person to show up at his door.

The blonde detective pulled on his sleep pants and a tee shirt and walked over to the door gripping the handle with one hand and the deadbolt lock with the other. He leaned his forehead against the door frame briefly and took several deep breaths. He had no idea what he was going to say to Steve because he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do with the words Mrs. McGarrett had poured over him like acid. He swallowed thickly, threw the deadbolt and opened the door.

Steve stood in the hallway, arms folded angrily across his chest, looking offended, gorgeous and pissed off. The sight made something twist deep in Danny’s gut and he had to turn away quickly before Steve saw the tears pooling in his eyes. The detective hurried to the kitchen to begin making a pot of coffee.

“Do you happen to know what time it is Steven?” Danny snapped irritably. “It’s Saturday morning and most normal people like to sleep in on Saturday mornings.”

Danny couldn't see Steve but he had no doubt the taller man was rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disgust at Danny’s hopelessly slothful ways.

“It’s after eight Danno,” the SEAL snapped back stalking into the kitchen to begin rooting around in the cupboards for his favourite coffee mug. “I’ve been up for two hours already.”

“I said normal people babe,” Danny replied testily as he held his own coffee mug under the stream of coffee pouring directly from the machine, not prepared to wait for it to fill the pot. “You are most definitely not normal.”

“And neither is the way you ran out of the house last night!” Steve growled as he gently pushed Danny away from the coffee machine and put the pot back under the stream of hot liquid. He was prepared to wait patiently for the machine to fill the pot and then pour his coffee from that unlike certain caffeine addicted Jersey natives.

“I…” Danny fumbled for an excuse for his sudden, strange behaviour the night before.

“I thought you were going to spend the night,” Steve continued turning to stare at Danny as if examining his face for signs of deception. “You were going to take Grace back to Rachel’s and then come back. That’s what we planned and then suddenly you were out the door like a shot mumbling about needing to go home.” 

Steve’s face softened and he put a hand on his lover’s shoulder.

“What happened babe? Why did you leave so quickly? Did I say something to upset you?”

Danny felt his heart sink at the idea of Steve spending the night trying to think of what he might have done to upset his boyfriend. The blonde man put his coffee mug down on the counter and stepped into the circle of Steve’s arms and leaned his head against the taller man’s chest.

“No babe, no. I just…I wasn't feeling very well and…”

“You were sick?” Steve’s voice became tight with worry as he laid a hand on Danny’s forehead to check for a temperature. “You should have told me. Was it something you ate? I could have taken Grace home and then looked after you. You need to let me look after you babe.”

Danny pressed his face into Steve’s chest and shuddered involuntarily. He wanted to reassure his boyfriend that he was fine but he was too choked up in the face of Steve’s gentle concern.

“Danny?” Steve whispered, now very worried by his lover’s reaction. He dropped his hands to Danny’s shoulders and gently pushed the smaller man away to look into his face. His stomach flipped by the wet eyes and raw emotion he found there. He pulled Danny back against his chest and held him tightly.

“Please babe, please tell me what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”

“Steve I…” Danny managed to choke out before his throat closed up again. He shook his head and wrapped his arms around the taller man gripping Steve’s tee shirt tightly between his fingers. 

“Danny, Kono said she saw you and Mom talking on the lanai just before you left. Did that have something to do with it? Did Mom say something to upset you?”

Danny released a ragged breath and stepped back away from Steve forcing a pained-looking smile to his face. 

“No, no everything’s fine. Your mom and I were just getting to know each other.”

Steve stared at Danny’s face for a moment then shook his head firmly.

“No, I don’t believe you. She said or did something to upset you and I want to know what it was.”

Danny wiped a hand across his face and shrugged in studied nonchalance dropping his eyes away from Steve’s face. 

“It was nothing babe. Don’t worry about it.”

Danny glanced up at Steve and saw the Commander’s lips set in a hard line. He knew that look; he’d seen it directed at many a suspect. It meant Steve wasn’t buying their load of bullshit.

The blonde detective’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Steve don’t…”

“Get dressed,” Steve’s voice was hard and Danny knew he was fucked. The SEAL was not going to let this go. “We’re going to talk to my mother.”

Danny looked up at his boyfriend with pleading eyes. He would not be the reason Steve fought with his mother. He would not be the cause of any break between Steve and the mother that had just returned to him after 20 years.

“Steve, listen…” Danny began to argue but Steve put a hand up, palm out, to stop the words then pointed toward the detective’s bedroom.

“Danny you can get dressed and come with me voluntarily or I’ll put you over my shoulder with you still in your jammies and fucking carry you out to my truck. Which is it going to be?”

**********

“Mom!”

Steve stormed into the house dragging a reluctant Danny behind him. The front door banged off the wall as the Commander shoved it open angrily.

“Steven for fuck’s sake,” hissed Danny as he struggled to get Steve to let go of his hand. “I keep telling you nothing happened. Just let it go will you?”

Steve released a struggling Danny but yelled for his mother once again.

“I’m out on the lanai!” Mrs. McGarrett called back sounding exasperated by her shouting son. Steve stalked through the house and out onto the lanai with Danny trailing slowly behind him. 

Doris, wearing a pretty floral beach wrap, was lying on a lounger, sunglasses on and reading a magazine. A cold glass of iced tea dripped moisture on the table beside her. The older woman pushed the sunglasses up onto her head and she arched a disapproving eyebrow at her son.

“Steve what in heaven’s name…” Doris stopped talking as Danny emerged from the kitchen door and came to a halt beside Steve his eyes avoiding the older woman’s. Mrs. McGarrett shifted nervously and put her magazine aside and folded her hands on her lap as if waiting for judgment.

“Mom,” Steve began his voice low and hard. “I want to know what you said to Danny last night. What happened between the two of you?”

Mrs. McGarrett’s eyes darted to Danny’s face and then back to her son.

“I’m sure he must have told you.”

Steve shifted on his feet and laid his hands flat on his thighs. Danny could see his body tense in suppressed anger.

“No, he didn't tell me anything. He refuses to tell me anything. He keeps saying nothing happened but I don’t believe him. Everything was fine last night until the two of you had your little chat out here and then suddenly he couldn't get away fast enough. Now I’m asking you again, what did you say to him?”

Mrs. McGarrett cleared her throat and rose quietly to her feet. Hands placed firmly on her hips she met her son’s gaze unflinchingly.

“I told him what I thought of your relationship. I asked him not to date you anymore.”

Danny heard Steve gasp and looked up to see his boyfriend’s eyes widen with shock.

“Why?” Steve whispered roughly. “Why would you say that to him?”

Doris crossed her arms on her chest in an obviously defensive posture.

“Steven, listen to me, I know you love him and his daughter but he’s not good enough for you?”

“Not good enough?” The SEAL repeated as if trying to process what she was saying.

“I know he’s a nice man but you’re an exceptional person and you need someone who will help you achieve your potential – to be the great person you were meant to be.”

Steve stared at his mother unblinking for a moment.

“What’s wrong with the person I am now?”

“Nothing!” 

Doris took a step towards her son, one hand reaching out to him but something in his face stopped her and she let her hand drop back to her side. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you Steve. I’m so proud of you and I know your father would be too but you’re still a young man; who knows how much higher you can rise. But you won’t rise much higher without the right kind of person by your side.”

Steve shook his head slowly then turned to take a couple of steps away from his mother. He turned again and stared at her as if she were insane.

“I just…I can’t believe you’re saying these things. I can’t believe you can’t see how amazing Danny is. How perfect he is for me.”

Danny, who was watching his boyfriend carefully, felt his heart constrict at those words. He blinked rapidly to hold back the tears stinging his eyes.

Steve walked forward again and took one of Danny’s hands in his while looking at his mother intently.

“Mom…you don’t know what kind of person I was like when I moved back to Hawaii three years ago. Losing you, having Dad send me away, my years in the Navy…I was,” he glanced at Danny and gave him a weak smile.

“I was hard-edged, locked down. What emotions I allowed myself to feel were strictly controlled. I refused to get too close to anyone for fear they would leave me or betray me. I was a machine.”

“Babe you weren’t.” Danny whispered squeezing his boyfriend’s hand tightly with both of his.

Steve looked over at his lover and nodded once.

“I was Danny – worse than I think you ever knew.” 

He turned his attention back to his mother. “But Danny changed all that.” 

Steve huffed out an ironic laugh and shook his head. He tugged gently at Danny’s hand until the smaller man was leaning up against him. Steve’s eyes were glistening with emotion as he looked back at his mother.

“I couldn't stand him at first. He was so loud and opinionated and argumentative – he refused to obey me without question like my SEAL team members. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to put up with him.”

Steve took in a shaky breath and let go of Danny’s hand to wrap his arm around the smaller man’s shoulders and hold him close.

“But he challenged me – forced me to open up and share my thoughts and feelings. He was like a dog with a bone. He wouldn’t allow me to get away with any of my bullshit. But most surprising of all is that in spite of all my faults he fell in love with me. Even though he bitches about my crazy ninja SEAL behaviour, he willingly follows me into hell and back. He’s always by my side.”

Steve looked down at Danny and gave him a watery smile.

“But the really incredible thing is that he trusts me with his most important possession in the world – Grace. He lets me be a part of her life. He trusts me to care for her. I can’t tell you what that…” 

Steve’s voice broke and he squeezed his eyes shut as he fought to regulate his breathing. Danny wrapped his arms around the SEAL’s waist and half buried his face in Steve’s shoulder.

Steve took a deep breath and opened his eyes again fixing his gaze on his mother who was now staring at the two with moist eyes of her own.

“I love him mom. He’s everything to me. He’s my life and my future – he and Grace. Without him I am nothing.”

Mrs. McGarrett swallowed hard and opened her mouth as if to argue again.

“I’m sorry if you don’t approve,” Steve continued before his mother could speak, “but I honestly don’t care if you do or not. Danny and I are going to be together. I’m hoping to get him to move in here soon and someday I plan to marry him.”

Danny pulled his face away from Steve’s chest and smiled happily up at the taller man. That was the first time either of them had said anything about marriage.

Steve put out his free hand to his mother and she tentatively reached forward and took it in her own.

“I love you Mom and I’m grateful as hell to have you back in my life but I won’t let you interfere in the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If you think you can’t come to grips with my relationship with Danny you can move out. Get an apartment downtown and I’ll visit you as often as I can.”

“Steven!” Mrs. McGarrett gasped in shock.

Steve held his mother’s hand firmly, not letting her pull away.

“I’m not the eager-to-please gangly kid you left 20 years ago Mom. I’m a grown man and I’ve had experiences that you can’t even begin to imagine. I know exactly what I want from life and I want Danny and Grace. We’re going to be a family together and I would like you to be a part of it but only if you learn to accept Danny and treat him with the respect and kindness he deserves.”

Mrs. McGarrett pulled her hand from her son’s grip and turned away to face the ocean.

“I just want what’s best for you,” she choked out, voice thick with tears.

“I have what’s best for me,” Steve replied firmly. 

The Commander turned and ushered Danny back into the house. The two climbed the stairs to the master bedroom and Steve shut the door quietly behind them. Both men sat on the bed, arms wrapped around each other. Neither spoke or moved for several minutes.

“God babe,” Danny finally sighed, his voice partially muffled against Steve’s neck. “You just got your mother back. I don’t want to be the cause of you possibly losing her again.”

Steve slowly rubbed his hands up and down Danny’s back as he buried his face in the blonde man’s hair.

“It will be alright love. Don’t worry about it. She’ll come around, you’ll see. My mother can be an opinionated, difficult woman sometimes but deep down she’s a good person and she will come to love you as much as I do. I promise.”

**********

Danny slowly stirred the pot of marinara sauce as he glanced over at the stove timer. The pasta should be done in a couple of minutes and then they’d be ready to eat. 

The detective smiled as he heard Steve and Grace laughing upstairs as they cleaned up for dinner. The two had come flying into the house earlier tracking water and sand through the kitchen as they argued good-naturedly about whether the sand castle they were building needed a landing pad for a helicopter.

Danny chuckled and shook his head. He sometimes wasn't sure which was the child was and which was the adult.

“That smells very good.”

Danny turned and watched Doris McGarrett carefully setting the table for four.

“Thank you,” Danny replied politely. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. It’s Grace’s favourite and Steve’s too.”

After setting down the last fork, Doris straightened up and turned to give Danny a shy smile.

“Maybe you could give me the recipe someday? I’ve been thinking of having some of the people in my apartment building over for dinner and that would be a lovely thing to serve.”

Danny’s smile brightened and he turned back to the stove to give the marinara another stir before pouring it into a serving dish.

“Absolutely but you may have to cut the recipe back, Nonna always made enough to feed an army.”

Steve and Grace came clattering down the stairs and burst into the kitchen. 

“Danno I’m hungry!” Grace whined and Steve nodded emphatically in agreement. 

“Me too Danno,” the Lt. Commander moaned just as pitifully. “I’m hungry.”

Danny rolled his eyes as he drained the pasta into the colander then poured it into the bowl with the marinara sauce. He turned and handed the large bowl to Steve.

“Here you big baby, take this to the table while I get the bread out of the oven.”

Steve grinned happily and bent down to give Danny a kiss on the forehead before taking the bowl and carrying it over to the table where Grace was bouncing excitedly on her chair.

Doris watched Steve with an indulgent smile then turned her attention back to Danny.

“Is there anything I can do…son?”

Danny couldn’t help the big, foolish grin that spread across his face. He nodded.

“If you could get the salad out of the fridge?”

Doris reached out and squeezed Danny’s elbow gently for a moment and returned his smile. As she turned away to open the fridge door, Steve and Danny’s eyes met. The two grinned at each other happily.


End file.
